President Muhammadu Buhari is among dignitaries listed to discuss the strategic importance of collaboration among key institutions to national development at the first Lagos-Kano Economic and Investment Summit.

The summit, which is scheduled to hold at the Jubilee Chalets, Epe, Lagos, between February 28 and March 1, 2018, is to focus on thematic areas such as security, governance, ease of doing business, agriculture, tourism, internally generated revenue, education and infrastructure in key areas of power, transportation and urban waste management.

Aside President Buhari, other lead discussants at the summit are the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi; Oba of Lagos, HRH Rilwan Akiolu; former National Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega; development expert, Professor Pat Utomi, among others.

Addressing a joint press briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa on Tuesday, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the summit and Lagos State Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade said the summit was specially designed to create awareness on the investment climate and policy thrust of both Lagos and Kano State Governments, as well as create a platform for dialogue for potential investors, with the overall objectives of national development.

He said the summit will also offer opportunity to share emerging investment ideas with the target audience and engage both states’ un-utilised and under-utilised resources toward efficiency and prosperity.

According to Ashade, “Globally, inter-state and regional partnerships are fast becoming benchmarks and leading practices for economic growth and development. Equipped with this knowledge, the Governments of Lagos and Kano States, under the visionary and able leadership of their Excellences – Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje respectively decided to take a leading role towards maximizing the unique comparative and competitive economic and investment opportunities of both States.”

Giving reasons for the summit, Ashade said it was common knowledge that both states share peculiar history and pedigree in demography, economic viability and leading roles within each of their respective geopolitical regions.

“We both have the highest population and cosmopolitan spread in Nigeria, while I make bold to say that, the performances of the two States in areas of economic reforms, improved their business environments and contributed significantly in boosting Nigeria’s “Ease of Doing Business” Global Ranking from 169 to 145 for the year 2018 as measured in 2017.

“This Summit, the first of its kind in sub-saharan Africa, signals the first phase in the journey towards a long-lasting partnership between the two States and promises to help boost economic development and foster national unity amongst others. Hence, the choice of the theme “States Partnership as a tool for Sustainable Economic Development” for the Summit,” Ashade said.

He also disclosed that adequate measures have been firmed up to ensure that the summit is not another talk show, hence the decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two states during the summit, designed to seal and sustain the partnership.

“The Governments of Lagos and Kano States are optimistic on the outcomes of this Summit in terms of Sustainable National Development and hope that the ensuing collaboration will offer a constructive case study for other States of the Federation to emulate by looking inwards and developing blueprints for their own inter-states collaborations that will propel them towards achieving economic sufficiency.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Technical Committee for the summit from Kano, Dr Shamsudeen Usman Lagos and Kano States had a lot of similarities and differences, and that the summit was designed to bring both to the fore with the overall objectives of learning from each to foster mutually beneficial positives.

Usman, a former Minister of National Planning, said there have been instances in the past when Kano had understudied Lagos in areas such as governance and internally generated revenue, and that the summit would focus on such areas with the aim of playing them up for the people’s benefits.

The summit, which will be periodic, can be registered for at www.lagoskanosummit.org, while other members of the public can follow discussions through the social media handles.

The Lagos State Government on Monday approved the extension of the ongoing reconstruction of the International Airport Road to Ladipo International Market axis along Oshodi Apapa Expressway.

The Government also announced plans to construct a pedestrian bridge at Toyota Bus Stop in response to the yearnings of traders and residents of the area, with the contractor expected to begin work on the bridge next week.

State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who disclosed this during an extensive inspection of ongoing projects across the State, said the extension was to complement the Airport Road reconstruction in line with the regeneration of the entire Oshodi axis.

“There is no point doing the Airport Road if we don’t extend that contract to where I am standing here and so I want to do it from Oshodi to Guardian Newspapers axis; I want to rehabilitate the road and turn it to a modern road. The only way I can do it also is if you don’t do any trading on the road.

“I promise you I will also do a Pedestrian Bridge at Toyota Bus Stop. So, the contractor that is doing the Airport Road will commence work on the Pedestrian Bridge and this road next week if you allow me. That is why I have come here personally; I was here yesterday. I don’t want to inconvenience you but I have come to appeal to you; just be patience with us; we will bring growth and development to this place,” the Governor said.

Governor Ambode, who also inspected ongoing construction of roads around Ladipo International Auto Spare Parts Market, called on traders to leave the road to enable the contractor complete the projects.

Accompanied by key members of his cabinet, the Governor expressed concern that the presence of traders displaying their wares on the road was hampering the construction work and delaying the completion on schedule.

Addressing thousands of traders who came out to hear from him, he said he had come out personally to appeal to them to leave the road to enable work continue and that if they comply, the project would be delivered by May 2018.

“When I came here last year and I went through the Ladipo Market, I promised you I will do all the roads within the market and you will all cooperate with me. So, last year August, I fulfilled my promise; I awarded the contract of Akinwunmi Street, the Ladipo Street and then the other streets on the adjacent side.

“The contractors have gone to work; I have just inspected the project at Akinwunmi Street and the drainage has been completed. You were the ones that told me I should come and do the roads; I have asked the contractors and they are promising me that Akinwunmi Street will be delivered by May but I have an issue and that is why I have called the Vice President of your association to stand by my side here.

“Now, the only reason why that contract will not be completed on schedule is that some of you are trading on the roads that we want to repair and you were the ones that said we should come and repair the roads and so you need to talk to yourselves; I don’t want any trading on that road until we finish it. This is February, in another three months, we will finish it. So, the leaders in this market, please talk to your people, they should vacate the roads; let us bring development to your market.

“I have come to appeal to you. If you don’t do it by way of appeal, you know I also have the power to close the market but I don’t want to do it and so let there be peace and when there is peace, there is progress and there is development,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the traders, Vice President of the market, Mr. Jude Nwankwo commended Governor Ambode for delivering on his promise to transform the axis, assuring that they would cooperate with the government and vacate the roads to enable the contractor complete the project on schedule.

“We would cooperate with you, we do not have any reason not to cooperate with you because all that you have promised to do, you have done it. Moreso, we are all beneficiaries of all the good work you are doing in Lagos,” Nwankwo said.

Governor Ambode also inspected the ongoing construction of the Oshodi Transport Interchange where he was briefed on the level of work done so far by the contractor and Managing Director, Planet Projects, Mr. Biodun Otunola.

He also inspected the ongoing construction of roads, walkways, laybys and solar powered street lights in Agboyi Ketu Local Government area expected to be completed within two weeks.

While responding to an appeal by some of the residents for the construction of a market in the area, the Governor promised to collaborate with the Local Government to see the possibility of acceding to the request.

Besides, the Governor and his team also inspected the ongoing construction of the Eko Theatre in Oregun Ikeja, one of the five theatres currently under construction across the State, assuring that the adjoining land space would be converted to a recreation centre for children and a car park.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Thursday signed seven important bills into law among which is the law to guarantee 24-hour power supply in line with the vision to attain a 24-hour economy and make the State globally competitive.

The Laws are Lagos State Electric Power Reform Law, Amended Land Use Charge Law, School of Nursing Law, Cooperative College Law, Cancer Research Institute Law, Amended Customary Court Law and the Yoruba Language Preservation and Promotion Law

Speaking on the import of the new laws, the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem said the development was a great day for the State as it signpost the commencement of the journey to further advance the dividends of democracy to the people.

He said: “This is a great day; the Governor has just signed these bills into law and this shows that the House of Assembly is working in tandem with the Executive. It also shows that Lagos is working. These laws are going to benefit the people of Lagos State and this is what the people are looking for in terms of the dividends of democracy.”

Giving details on the benefits of the Power Sector Reform Law, the State’s Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr Olawale Oluwo said the law would allow the State Government to intervene in major areas of the power value chain to the overall benefit of the people.

He said: “One, the law puts the government in a position to be able to extend our guarantee to private sector participants who will come and generate power for us and by this guarantee, we are putting the balance sheet of our State on the table and assuring investors that as they generate power, they will get paid.

“Second, is to help the distribution companies to upgrade their infrastructure because if they generate the power and their infrastructure is still where it is today, clearly they will not have the capacity to carry the incremental power. The third area of intervention is that it empowers us to be able to open up the gas market in Lagos so that we can have gas on a consistent basis and that is how we can attain the 24-hour power supply.”

Speaking further, Oluwo said the law would also enable the State Government to collaborate with the distribution companies to collect tariff from customers efficiently in a way that the said guarantee would not crystallize, while in the area of enforcement, the law will prevent power theft.

According to him, ”What has happened today is that the first power theft law in Nigeria has been signed today by Governor Ambode and this is the first time any government in Nigeria will institutionalise the power theft law.

“It criminalizes power infraction. What we have seen before is that people tamper with and bypass meters and at the end of the day they are arrested and nothing happens but the new law provides for jail terms as well as fines and all sorts of forbearance such that if you tamper with electrical installations, if you import fake electrical materials into this State, you are liable to be prosecuted,” Oluwo explained.

Speaking on the other laws, the State’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan said the signing of the laws aptly confirmed the commitment of Governor Ambode to institutionalize and enshrine good governance.

“Among the bills is the Amended Customary Law which is very important because for a long time the Customary Court system in the Local Government has been shut down because of the bill and with this revision, the Customary Court in Local Government will spring back to life and that means that many of the activities in the Local Government which require arbitration and dispute resolution which had been in abeyance so far will now come back in full stream.

“Another one is the Yoruba Promotion bill and for the first time it will become normal for you to be admitted into any of our tertiary institutions with a credit in Yoruba language and Yoruba will now become a major requirement for you to engage in normal business communication in Lagos State. This is a clear and conscious commitment to the position which Lagos State prides Yoruba language as the cultural vehicle for us to be able to articulate our position and it also shows that Lagos has furthered recognised the importance of language as a vehicle for development,” Bamigbetan said.

The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it has released the sum of N5.563billion to contractors to flag off the construction of the 181 roads spread across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the State.

In a statement by the State’s Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Ade Akinsanya, the Government said the construction of the 181 council roads was in fulfillment of the promise by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to open up more inner roads across the State following the successful delivery of the 114 roads in September 2016.

According to Akinsanya, the roads would be constructed in phases, noting that phase one will see the construction of one road each in the 20 LGs and 37 LCDAs of which contractors have been mobilised to move to site immediately.

The Commissioner said the sum of N5,563,697,382.00 released was 30 percent payment for the construction of the 57 roads while the total cost of the roads stands at N18,545,657,940.00.

“The roads will be done in phases, already phase one has been released. This phase involves 57 roads cutting across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas.
To enhance immediately mobilization to site, 30 percent has been given to all the contractors upfront. This is in line with the magnanimity of Governor Ambode’s administration to ensure service delivery all year round,” Akinsanya said.

He said due process was observed in awarding the contracts, adding that bids were opened on November 1, 2017 after which they were evaluated and considered.

He said there are 57 contractors involved in the first phase of the construction with a mandate to deliver in six months.

“Governor Ambode is totally committed to ensuring that Lagosians continue to enjoy good governance. There are many projects going on simultaneously across the State and the roads to be constructed will further open up the LGs and LCDAs for economic prosperity,” Akinsanya said.

The Commissioner, however, urged residents to continue to pay their taxes promptly to enable the Government to meet up with its target to complete all ongoing projects in the State this year.

Director General of the Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Mr. Babatunde Irukera on Monday said that the Lagos State economy has emerged as not only one of the largest sub national economies in Africa but also one of the most recognised sub national economies in the world.

Irukera made the submission when he led a delegation of the CPC, top officials from the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) on a courtesy visit to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Lagos House in Alausa, Ikeja.

The CPC boss, while noting that Lagos was strategic to Nigeria’s growth and development, said the State had become a model for other States in Nigeria and a force to reckon with in the global space.

“Lagos State is one of the largest sub national economies in Africa and one of the most recognised sub national economies in the world. That is something, because it means that the economy of Lagos is far larger than many countries in the world. To lead that kind of a State is an incredible thing because in many respects you are leading a sub national entity that is greater than many nationals all over the world. So, you actually have Presidents that are actually smaller than the Governor of Lagos,” he said.

Irukera, who said they were in Lagos to flag off advocacy on the National Quality Infrastructure Project, noted that the choice of Lagos was due to its strategic positioning in terms of housing the bulk of production and importation activities in Nigeria and also for the fact that majority of complaints received by the CPC comes from consumers in the State.

He said the National Quality Infrastructure Project was a partnership between the Federal Government and UNIDO to sensitise citizens about demanding quality and also ensuring the manufacturers of goods and services respect appropriate quality standards.

While commending the State Government for setting up the Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), Irukera lauded the Governor for providing quality leadership which according to him has raised the bar of governance in Nigeria.

“The fact that we recognise your record as an individual and in the period that you have led Lagos State demonstrates that beyond recognizing what the issues are, you are right on board and working on the issues.

“While people might excuse the proscription of their rights by their government, they certainly will never excuse a government that cannot protect it from other private citizens and you have demonstrated that you recognise that as an important thing and you have taken a fundamental step to that,” Irukera said.

Responding, Governor Ambode charged the CPC to look beyond the rights of people to have quality products and services and beam its searchlight on other key sectors which have direct impact on the standard of living of Nigerians.

“The kind of services that we provide in terms of transportation; is it the kind of thing that our people should have, should we just label them and say that is what their own lifestyle should be? These are things that we should find some platform to talk about,” Governor Ambode said.

While pledging support for the ‘National Quality Infrastructure Project’ the Governor said the campaign would ensure that the right of Lagosians and Nigerians in general to quality goods and services is guaranteed, adding that concerted efforts must continue to be done by all stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians are only exposed to the best.

He said his administration had already queued behind the advocacy with the setting up of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), chaired by consumer rights advocate and lawyer, Mrs. Olufunmilola Falana.

“I am very excited that the Consumer Protection Council is on this advocacy. We are excited also that barely three weeks ago, we were also able to set up our own agency and with a charge that they must commence operation immediately to be able to do that missing part between the ordinary Nigerian citizen and the product of goods and services in this country.

Governor Ambode had earlier in his opening remarks said he had initially wanted to cancel the visit due to the demise of his Special Adviser on Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Deji Tinubu last week Thursday who ought to have coordinated the visit by the CPC delegation.

“We should have cancelled this courtesy visit but again you know the business of government will always go on because we had actually agreed about two weeks earlier that we would receive the Consumer Protection Council. As at this morning, it should have been Deji that should have been sitting beside me here, because we are yet to have a Commissioner for Commerce. This was one of the last assignment that he was actually doing on Thursday to clear this visit. So, in his memory, we had to ensure that we do this courtesy visit. That’s how government business is. I don’t want to start Monday on a solemn note, so I do this courtesy visit with all sincerity and all sense of responsibility”, Governor said.